Black Bean Salad

HOWDY friends!  As our American Independence Day celebration draws near, I wanted to pop in and share a yummy salad recipe, that is very quick & easy to put together, and ALWAYS a hit!

My brother brought home the recipe a few years ago.  He had eaten it at a friend’s house, and loved it, so he asked for their recipe.  He and my sister have been making it regularly ever since.  The recipe he brought home was made with corn & black beans.  I decided to adapt it, and leave out the corn.  I made my version for a hungry crew at our recent Memorial Day celebration, and it was a definite success.

Some folks liked it as it is intended (as a salad), others thought it worked well as a dip.  (I think I might give it a few pulses in the food processor if I decide to serve it as a dip.  I wouldn’t want it completely smooth, but a little less chunky might be good for dipping.)  My niece even decided it made a great hot dog topping!

However you might decide to serve it, or adapt it (as I did), you really should try it.  It’s delicious, and sure to be a favorite for your family like it has become for mine.

I’ve tried to track the original recipe (to give proper credit, where credit is due), but I’ve had a hard time nailing it down.  The closest I’ve come is what the internet refers to as Paula Deen’s Corn Salad .  However, I’m not even sure that it came from Paula Deen, as I haven’t found it on any of her websites, or anywhere with attribution other than the name.  Maybe somebody thought it sounded like something she might make and gave it the name, or maybe she really did originate it.  I really don’t know, but I do know that it is wonderful!  That recipe uses only corn (no black beans),unlike the recipe my brother brought home, but pretty much everything else was the same.  I figured if it could be made with just corn, it could be made with just beans, so without further ado…here’s my version.

(Photo quality isn't nearly as good as the salad is!)

 

Black Bean Salad

Ingredients:

2 (15 oz.) cans black beans, rinsed & drained (the original recipe my brother brought home called for 1 can black beans & 1 can whole kernel corn - both rinsed & drained)

2 cups grated cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar adds a really nice flavor, but I’m sure you could substitute a Mexican cheese blend or whatever you happen to like)

1 cup mayonnaise (I prefer real mayo, as Miracle Whip tends to lend a sweetness that I don’t want)

1 cup red bell pepper, chopped (or you can use any combination of your favorite, red, yellow and/or green bell peppers - my brother’s recipe uses green - I’m even thinking I might try adding a chopped jalapeño or two next time!)

1/2 cup red onion, chopped (I prefer to use the sweet red onions when I can find them)

1 (10-1/2 ounce) bag coarsely crushed chili cheese flavored corn chips

Instructions:

Mix all ingredients (EXCEPT crushed corn chips) and chill.  (If you have time...make it the night before you plan to serve it, to allow the flavors to fully develop.  If you're in a hurry, don't worry, it will still be fabulous!)  Sprinkle crushed corn chips over the top of your salad just before serving.  (You can also stir them directly into the mixture if you prefer.  Either way, don’t do it too early, or they’ll lose their crunchiness.)

I hope you’ll give this one a try, and let me know what you think.  I’d love to hear about the variations you might choose!

Happy 4th of July my friends... I pray that you’ll have the opportunity to celebrate our country’s Independence Day with your family & friends, as I plan to.  May we never forget the sacrifices made by so many to grant us (and maintain for us) the many freedoms we so often take for granted.  I’m especially thankful to live in a country where I am blessed with the freedom to openly worship & serve my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ!  May it always be so.

Photo credit:  http://www.webweaver.nu/clipart/4th-of-july.shtml

May God Bless America, and each one of you my friends!

Blessings,

--Faithy

Asparagus, Tomato & Avocado Salad

HOWDY my friends...I hope that everyone enjoyed a blessed Easter weekend.  Our weekend was wonderfully busy hosting our annual family reunion BBQ bash (204 in attendance this year!), but Easter Sunday was much more laid back and relaxed as a much smaller group of us attended church and had lunch together to celebrate the resurrection of our precious Lord Jesus!  Then hubby & I enjoyed a nice, S-L-O-W, afternoon watching old movies, and being determined to put off any major party follow-up tasks (cleaning the house and putting away all the stuff, etc.) until later in the week.

It was a very refreshing, uplifting weekend for me, filled with fun, food, family & friends AND a glorious celebration of the resurrection!  Thanks God...I needed that!

Anyway...now that I'm getting back to "real life", I thought I'd share an incredibly yummy recipe I found over on my friend Kathleen's blog last week.  Asparagus and avocado sounded like an interesting combination, so I just had to try it out.  It was so yummy, my hubby didn't even get much (just his initial serving. and he really liked it too), as I promptly cleaned out the entire bowl!  And yes, I even licked out all the good stuff at the end! 

We were busy with our Easter party preparations, so we didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen last week.  This recipe was really quick & easy, so it fit the bill perfectly.  I served it with some simple pan-seared pork chops (just plain pork chops seasoned with little seasoned salt).  YUM!  Kathleen served hers with some broiled salmon, which sounds good too.  I also think it would go well with just about any grilled or broiled meat...or just by itself.

Asparagus, Tomato & Avocado Salad

For salad:
1 bunch of fresh asparagus (I prefer to use the small stemmed asparagus)
1 pint of cherry (or grape) tomatoes (halved)
1 Haas avocado, ripe (I think I used 2 small avocados)
Mexican crumbling cheese - optional (I added this, and we really liked it.  I think Feta cheese would be good too.  Heck, if you really want to go crazy, some crumbled bacon would probably be delish!)

 
For dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp whole grain mustard
juice of one medium lemon
kosher salt, fresh cracked pepper & granulated garlic to taste (I added the garlic, 'cause I LOVE garlic...feel free to leave it out if you don't.)

Whisk together dressing ingredients, and let stand to allow the flavors to develop while you assemble the salad.

Trim or snap the tough stem ends of asparagus and discard.  Cut the spears into bite-sized pieces.  In a large skillet (with a lid), bring enough water to cover bottom bottom of pan and a pinch of salt to a boil.  Add asparagus, cover and boil for three minutes.  Quickly remove from heat and rinse in cold water to STOP cooking, and keep it crisp.  Drain well.

Cube avocado, and toss with the asparagus and tomatoes in a large bowl. 

Pour dressing over salad and serve.  (NOTE:  I did NOT use all the dressing...just enough to flavor it all, not drown it.  :-)  The leftover dressing is delicious on a regular green salad, or a tomato/cucumber salad too.  I'm going to have to keep that as a separate recipe for future use as well.)

We'll DEFINITELY be having this again...soon!  Be sure to give it a try, I can't recommend it highly enough.

As a side note, I'm a huge fan of avocados...they taste good, AND they're very nutritious.  I came across this website with all kinds of interesting information about avocados, and tons of recipes.  Can't wait to try some of them.

Okay...enough rambling for today.  TRY THIS RECIPE!!!  (Did I already say that?!)  Then let me know what you think.  And don't forget to stop by and say hello to Kathleen, and thank her for passing it along! 

Blessings,
--Faithy 

Faithy's Favorite Coleslaw

HOWDY again friends…

Just making a quick stop to post my favorite coleslaw recipe.  I found it many years ago, in one of my favorite cookbooks (The Best of Country Cooking – 2^nd Edition) by Reiman Publications.  It was published in 1995 and is filled with yummy stuff.  Look for it.  If you can find it (I’ve seen it on Amazon) you’ll be glad you did!   The original recipe is on page 239, listed as Cabbage Slaw.

 

I generally just buy some pre-shredded cabbage (red & green mixed) in a bag (if it doesn’t come with shredded carrots in it, I add some).  Then I use the dressing recipe found in the book with a few minor adaptations to lower the calorie count. 

I’ve found that it makes a lot if you use the recipe as-is, so my version is a half-batch, because I don’t like my coleslaw too soupy.  It’s best if you make it several hours ahead of time so it can sit in the fridge and absorb all the flavors.

Faithy’s Favorite Coleslaw

8 to 12 oz. shredded cabbage (you can shred your own or use the bagged kind like me)

1 small carrot, shredded (if the shredded cabbage doesn’t come with some already in it)

Dump all this in a large bowl, and mix well.

Dressing

1/2 cup real mayonnaise (NOT Miracle Whip)

1 Tablespoon skim milk (or regular milk, if you prefer)

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

1-1/2 Tablespoons Whey-Low Type D (or regular sugar)

1/4 teaspoon salt (I don’t use as much as the original recipe)

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery seed

Whisk everything together until smooth.  (I usually do this in a 2 cup measuring cup.) Pour over cabbage/carrot mixture and stir until all the cabbage is coated.  Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.

That’s all there is to it!  Super simple and really good.  Give it a try with your favorite grilled meat or some yummy fish tacos.

Good night my friends…

Blessings,

--Faithy